Is it difficult to get an appointment with Mayo in MN?

I have been going to Rochester for 18 years and had my 3 back surgeries there. The last surgery was a fusion. You can try a referral from your Doctor. That might be easier. I self referred because I have a history there in the spine clinic. I also took a 3-day pain management class there and found it to be extremely helpful. You could look at the website to see is they still offer the classes. We haven't always been accepted for treatment, but 90% of the time they have been able to see us. I don't have a Medicare advantage plan (thank goodness) and I am 75. I am in pain daily, but I only take one celebrex daily. I worry about my future too because of the limited mobility I have.

I have an appointment next week with my primary care doc. I’ll ask her at that time to write a referral. Can’t hurt.
I’ll be 74 in May. My husband is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. One child lives in central FL. They want us to move near them, but, honestly, I’m not crazy about that area; however, I realize I need help, so at this point, I don’t feel I have much choice. That part of the world has great VA services for my husband, with whom I’ll need help. At this point in time, I’m on a walker (I broke my hip last Feb), therefore, I’m just not able to do a whole lot to prepare to move, but I don’t think my kids understand that. Sooooo, I’m really under a lot of stress. My husband is not thinking clearly and, frankly, I don’t even know where to start.
Anyway, my first scoliosis surgery was in 2008 at the Univ of CA at San Francisco. My total number of surgeries is seven. I’ve had pain ever since (shocker, huh?). We moved back East and I war taking Percocet for years and years before my pain doc in FL took me off. I’m pretty much fused all the way down my back and have constant pain, except when sitting or laying.
I, too, am on Celebrex, but only for arthritis. I have nothing for my back pain except OTC pulls. I might as well be taking sugar pills at this point.
I’m really sorry for dumping all this on a total stranger. I was really hoping Mayo could give me some hope, but it appears, they will not.
I don’t know where to turn.

My husband also has mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease and we are trying to move to an area where we don't have to drive 2 1/2 to 5 hours to see some of our doctors. I sympathize with your situation and the decisions you need to make. The one thing I have learned is that you really never escape back pain when you have a degenerative spine. But surgery does improve your ability to function for a while.
When your doctor writes the referral, have them include imaging MRI, CT, X-ray films and/or CD, and include any other documents that might help your referral. If you have not been in PT recently, I suggest you start that too. Mayo will recommend that you do that first. The sooner you get your first steps finished, the more likely you are to get an appointment.
I started my history with Mayo with my first back surgery in 2007. Before I went, I was in PT for 3 months with no relief. I had x-rays and records for injections. It still took 4 visits to the clinic before they agreed to do surgery. (I live about 400 miles from Rochester.)
For my fusion, I had done everything before my first visit including daily visits to a local pool for water exercise. I saw my neurosurgeon in April and my surgery was scheduled for May 27th, 2020. This was during COVID lockdowns so I felt really fortunate to get the appointments. I met the orthopedic surgeon and my neurosurgeon at the next visit and my surgery was done 2 weeks later.
If you are accepted, they will send you a schedule for your first appointments and assign you a clinic number if you don't already have one. That clinic number is important because you have become a patient in their system. Any future visits will be easier to make. It's likely that you will see a Physiatrist for your first consult. He/she will refer you to the surgeon/s you will need to see. You will probably also have more imaging done at your first visit. Mayo is really good about trying to make this process as easy as possible. Most of the time, you will be there for several days for each visit. Transportation is extremely easy there too, with most of the hotels offering shuttle service.
I have 3 kinds of arthritis in my spine. All of my neck except the bottom vertebra and a large portion of my thoracic spine are fused because of Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH). I took the pain management course in their Pain Rehabilitation Center and found it very helpful. They offer a two day course and a 3 week course for adults in Rochester. In Jacksonville, they have a 3 week course for adults available. It is my choice not to take more medication than the Celebrex. It doesn't stop the pain, but it does help reduce some of the inflammation. Don't give up on Mayo yet! If you aren't able to get in with the referral, try the pain management course in Jacksonville. Once you are a patient at the clinic, you may find it easier to see a surgeon at any of their locations.
For your move, consider calling a mover to see if they have people who will help pack your belongings for your move. Our friends recently did that and it was a life-saver for them as he has Parkinson's. Then, start sorting through your possessions and do some serious downsizing.
You're dealing with a lot of serious issues in your household. Give yourself a break! You are doing the best you can do in a very difficult situation. You have reached out for help and I am glad to be able to offer some advice. I wish you success!

I have been trying to get into Mayo in Rodchester, for 3 yrs. I first tried on my own, thought I was making good progress, until they told me, they were no longer taking my advantage plan. I changed to Traditional Medicare, asked my Primary to help, I got turned down three times, by three different departments. I have two rare disease, rare allergies that are effecting me from getting eye care, digestive care, and to be able to take any medications to help my body from deteriorating any further. My Primary can't even get me into other specialists were I live because they don't know how to handle my allergy situation. It's unreal to get denied from every direction. Good luck to you!

The financial dept is a joke. My daughter is 36 and needs a heart and double lung transplant. She moved to Iowa from Montana to get the Medicaid while waiting for Medicare ssdi to come thru and of course they deny her saying she can still work (another joke). So going by what others at Mayo told us to do, she moved to Iowa we got the Medicaid and changed to the mco that works with Mayo and then the financial dept tells us nope they don't work with mco's saying my daughter has to have straight Medicaid. I called Iowa Medicaid and the Iowa ombudsman office and straight Medicaid is rarely used at all and is only for American Indian and another ethnicity my daughter isn't. So i called back to the mco who said yes they work with Mayo we just need to send in referral and a prior authorization/single case agreement. So i called Mayo financial back to ask if that will work and was told nope we won't take the either!!!!! There is no where in Iowa or where she was living that can help her with the procedure she needs and today i had to point out to the financial services team lead where it says on the Mayo website that it does take Medicaid from Iowa and works with the mco's!!!! Really???? It's been over a month trying to be seen for an evaluation and in the meantime my daughter is getting worse and worse. I'm was told I'd be called back today since she has to look into the mco thing and see if it's only going to be accepted for general appts or if my daughter can be helped or not, like trying to find anything in order to tell us nope again. Then my daughter will die and i will sue the shit out of this place for lack of their own products and care knowledge. Letting my daughter die because of incompetent employees in the dept. Iowa insurance is telling me what to send in and we have so how can they refuse my daughter???

In my experience with orthopedics,3 different times and neurosurgery at Jacksonville, and it's not uncommon in other hospitals today as well, you need a referral from a primary care doctor or better yet specialist that documents the diagnosis, all the tests and treatments that have been tried and failed in order to get an appointment.

My doctor suggested Mayo in Rochester. So I contacted them and sent all my info, X-rays, CT’s, MRI’s and was told on a Wednesday they would turn everything over to the doctors and would know something in 4-6 weeks . She said I could send my Emg report in about 2 weeks they would add it. The doctor looked at it the same day mailed out a letter on Friday and I got it on Monday , stating the have a lot of patients coming to them and sorry there’s nothing they can do. No suggestions or nothing, do I called out there and was told if a doc will write them they will review it. I’m waiting because my doctor fell and broke his neck not sure when he will return. His NP has agreed to write the letter and hopefully gets it sent out this week .

The financial dept is a joke. My daughter is 36 and needs a heart and double lung transplant. She moved to Iowa from Montana to get the Medicaid while waiting for Medicare ssdi to come thru and of course they deny her saying she can still work (another joke). So going by what others at Mayo told us to do, she moved to Iowa we got the Medicaid and changed to the mco that works with Mayo and then the financial dept tells us nope they don't work with mco's saying my daughter has to have straight Medicaid. I called Iowa Medicaid and the Iowa ombudsman office and straight Medicaid is rarely used at all and is only for American Indian and another ethnicity my daughter isn't. So i called back to the mco who said yes they work with Mayo we just need to send in referral and a prior authorization/single case agreement. So i called Mayo financial back to ask if that will work and was told nope we won't take the either!!!!! There is no where in Iowa or where she was living that can help her with the procedure she needs and today i had to point out to the financial services team lead where it says on the Mayo website that it does take Medicaid from Iowa and works with the mco's!!!! Really???? It's been over a month trying to be seen for an evaluation and in the meantime my daughter is getting worse and worse. I'm was told I'd be called back today since she has to look into the mco thing and see if it's only going to be accepted for general appts or if my daughter can be helped or not, like trying to find anything in order to tell us nope again. Then my daughter will die and i will sue the shit out of this place for lack of their own products and care knowledge. Letting my daughter die because of incompetent employees in the dept. Iowa insurance is telling me what to send in and we have so how can they refuse my daughter???

@sbtheplumber1 Did the letter that you received from Mayo say that they could not offer an appointment because they are overwhelmed with more patients at his time than they can handle? There are other well respected medical centers such as Cleveland Clinic, or Barrow Neurological in Arizona. From what you are saying, did Mayo not receive all of your information before rending a decision and is that why your NP is writing a letter on your behalf?